2 Active & Interactive Audiences in Participatory Culture
2 Active & Interactive Audiences in Participatory Culture
This book is premised upon the belief that audiences today are more than just consumers; everyday media users are active, creative and productive in some capacity no matter what. It takes for granted the assumption that “media-audience interactions are multifaceted and increasingly complex, especially since the emergence of networked digital media”[1]. But before we explore various “genres” of participatory culture later in the book, we have to define participatory culture first. To do that, we also have to define participation and clarify how that is different from other forms of media activity. Viewed one way, “all audiences are ‘active’, in the sense that they engage with rather than absorb what media offer. How much this intrudes into the materiality of life, however, differs.”[2] We have come a long way from the primary belief that audiences are passive in our responses to media; the stimuli-response model has largely been abandoned, long before the advent of digital media. Clearly, we are witness to “active audiences” but not all such behaviour ought to be termed “participatory.” We also need to distinguish audiences and their participatory culture(s) from audiences for (and on) participatory media. Interactive media platforms that invite participation are not synonymous with participatory culture (though they are often confused with it). This can be confusing, especially if we state that we are all members of contemporary participatory culture. Whether we are audiences, fans, or users of it (or all three), we participate in it. So let’s begin fleshing out the concept of participatory culture by clarifying what we mean by “participation.”
To be clear, participatory culture is an ever-shifting culture with different points of engagement constantly emerging in the digital spaces with which we engage. In this context, participation is necessarily ambiguous.[3] Social media platforms invite audiences to partake of their “culture” but this is not truly participatory in the sense that critical communication research posits. It is impossible to ignore that “audience participation is not often exempt from the control or involvement of media and entertainment industries, whether they own the intellectual property (IP), the platforms employed to create and circulate the content, or both.”[4] Acknowledging this push and pull that comes with all audience activity, within the discourse of participatory culture, participation is a prescriptive concept. It “is about being part of shared social practices, not just engaging with an online platform or piece of content. Looked at this way, participation doesn’t just mean being active, it is also about being part of a shared practice and culture.”[5] Participation carries with it the vague association of citizens, rather than just consumers.
Jenkins elaborates on the contrast between participation and interactivity, clarifying how the latter refers to t